Five of seven BLHS wrestlers place at Paola tournament

Five of the seven Bobcats to travel to Saturday’s Paola Invitational placed and the Basehor-Linwood wrestling team earned 51 points to place 13th out of 15 teams.

BLHS wrestling coach Tyler Cordts said illness hit the team hard in the week leading up to the tournament, causing the Bobcats to send just seven to Paola.

Shayn Morris led the way with a second-place finish at 106 pounds. Meanwhile, Zack Carter placed third at 195 pounds.

Cory McCleary and Seagar Smith each placed fourth at 152 and 285 pounds, respectively, and Sammy Seaton rounded out the day with a fifth-place win at 126 pounds.

After going just 1-4 in the quarterfinals, Cordts said the Bobcats rallied with a four-match winning streak in consecutive fashion: Seaton, McCleary, Carter and Smith each notched victories to begin the Bobcats’ turnaround.

“That streak really said a lot about our boys,” Cordts said.

Carter’s victory carried added meaning as he avenged his first-round loss to Olathe North’s Jadon McGaha, earning a 3-2 victory just one night after the passing of his uncle, Cordts said.

James Handke also made his varsity debut on Saturday, going 1-2 after dropping a narrow 3-2 decision to conclude his day.

“I can’t say enough about the way our boys responded to adversity, and battled back when they easily could have given in,” Cordts said. “We showed a lot of heart Saturday and I can’t be happier with the performance. Now to keep the momentum going into our first home dual.”

The Bobcats play host to Eudora in a dual meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday in what will be a “Pack the House Night.” Free Bobcats gear will be thrown out after each BLHS pin and kids club wrestlers will get in free.